Getting started with cloud services

Cloud services offer education institutions a great many advantages. SURF offers access against favourable conditions, allowing you to make these services available to your users securely and easily. SURF can assist you in the implementation process and resolution of any cloud-specific issues, with several useful support services.

Step-by-step plan for cloud service implementation

Although the implementation and use of cloud services may seem straightforward, a plan-based and phased approach is recommended. This detailed step-by-step plan (only in Dutch available) for cloud service implementation was developed by SURF in collaboration with Kennisnet to help you in this process.

Purchasing cloud services against favourable conditions

SURF offers the education and research community a suitable range of cloud solutions. Institutions can purchase various public cloud services via My SURFmarket against favourable conditions. These include services facilitating collaboration, video conferencing, interactive lectures and personal storage. We develop our broad range of services in collaboration with the education and research community. Staff and students can purchase cloud services for individual use against favourable conditions via our SURFspot web store.

Providing easily accessible and secure cloud services

Linking cloud services to the SURFconext collaboration infrastructure enables users to log in using their own institutional account. In addition to cloud services from external suppliers, you can also make your own services available to researchers, staff and students via SURFconext. Light path-based cloud services can be purchased from suppliers in the Netherlands and abroad. This offers potential for new forms of collaboration, both within individual institutions and on a national and international scale.

Developing cloud services together

The SURF Cloud Strategy offers a choice of three delivery models: the public cloud, the community cloud and a combination of the two. SURF works with early adopters to map out requirements and wish lists for cloud services, in order to be able to choose the most appropriate delivery model. We work with a number of organisations to develop versatile services that will bring benefits to everyone. The cloud storage service SURFdrive and the hybrid Internet-as-a-Service solution SURFcumulus are excellent examples of this approach. SURF is working with a number of organisations on new services in 2 cloud projects.

Coordination in the cloud: information strategy and resources

SURF's Coordination in the cloud project served to translate the education and research sector's cloud ambitions into a joint information strategy (i-strategy). The project has also yielded new implementation resources, enabling users to speed up the transition to more intensive use of cloud computing services. These resources include: